The meat of a newly slaughtered animal is very often tough and is only fit for making bouillons, farcemeat and sausages. There are several prior art methods for treating slaughtered poultry, game and other meats to make them more tender and appetizing to the taste. Two of these prior art methods include the so-called hanging procedure and a special radiation procedure. The hanging procedure is basically an aging process. Before the meat is to be sold, it has to be hung for a period of time for maturing. During the hanging period, the meat becomes more tender, gets a darker color and becomes richer in flavor substances.
The meat becomes more tender in the hanging process because the albumen and the connective tissue in the meat is mellowed through the action of enzymes. The prior art hanging period varies according to the type of meat, temperature and method of application. The lower the hanging temperature, the longer the maturing period. The article must hang for about 2 to 3 weeks before it becomes tender and appetizing. During this period, the article decreases in weight by about 5 to 10%. If it has become moldy, it must also be trimmed. The prior art hanging procedure as applied to a large number of carcasses necessarily requires a relatively large store room.
In a specific prior art process, a fattened chicken usually referred to as a broiler is treated in the following manner. A live broiler is hung by its feet on a conveyor belt. An electric slaughtering tool is used to slaughter the broiler and the chicken is stuck or cut to allow the blood to drain off. The slaughtered broiler is then taken to a scalding tank. The distance between the sticking or cutting of the broiler and the scalding tank is regulated in such a way as to make all the blood drain off before the bird reaches the scalding tank. The water in the scalding tank is about 58.degree.C. If there is still blood left in the bird, it must be rejected because the blood will coagulate at the temperature of the scalding tank and will cause the body of the bird to become red streaked. The feathers of the bird are plucked and it is cleaned immediately after removal from the scalding tank. The plucked and cleaned body is then passed through a water bath for cooling and washing.
Such a prior art treatment takes considerable amount of time. Furthermore, there is the loss of valuable albuminous substances because the poultry body is hollow thereby allowing any water to wash therethrough once the insides have been completely removed.
In the prior art special radiation procedure, the treating of slaughtered poultry, game and other meats is accomplished more quickly than the prior art hanging procedure. However, the radiation procedure requires expensive apparatus that is extremely large and complicated.